World No. 10 Netherlands is on top of Europe in the men’s (top) and U-18 categories
GIJON, Spain– The Netherlands U-18 National Team defeated Italy, 7-3, in the finale of the U-18 Baseball Europe Championship 2016 on 17 July.
Both nations had finished atop their respective groups to open the 10-nation tournament, with undefeated records of 4-0. Netherlands went a perfect 6-0 en route to the European title.
Finishing in first- and second-place, worlds No. 10 Netherlands and No. 9 Italy will advance to the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2017 in Thunder Bay, Canada. Italy and the Netherlands represent the top-ranked European nations in the WBSC Baseball World Rankings.
The win in Gijon positions Netherlands as the current champions of Europe across the men’s (top) and U-18 categories.
The Netherlands last competed for the U-18 world title in Seoul, South Korea, at the U-18 Baseball World Cup 2012, where the Dutch National Team finished in 11th place. At the U-18 Baseball World Cup 2015 in Osaka, Japan, Italy placed 10th.
In the battle for third in Europe, No. 19 Germany defeated No. 16 Czech Republic, 6-4, to earn the bronze.
The 28-game U-18 continental championship was hosted by the Royal Spanish Baseball and Softball Federation in conjunction with the Confederation of European Baseball — WBSC’s baseball arm in Europe.
|
1 |
Netherlands |
2 |
Italy |
3 |
Germany |
4 |
Czech Republic |
5 |
France |
6 |
Spain
|
7 |
Lithuania |
8 |
Great Britain |
9 |
Sweden |
10 |
Russia |